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A low-key career diplomat, Turner couldn\u2019t be more different from his predecessor, Sir Peter Mandelson, whose calamitous Epstein-related ouster and arrest still threatens to bring down Prime Minister Keir Starmer. (Sir Peter Mandelson was arrested on suspicion of misconduct in public office and has consistently denied any wrongdoing.)<\/p>\n King Charles<\/p>\n <\/span>Pool\/Getty Images<\/span><\/div>\n<\/figure>\n Fortuitously, Turner comes to Washington with deep knowledge of Iran. A Farsi speaker, he has been the British Foreign Office\u2019s chief negotiator with Iran for the past three years. \u201cI know the actors in that field extremely well and I have been at the center of those discussions.\u201d<\/p>\n Unlike his predecessor, Turner has stayed off the headlines since he arrived. Which doesn\u2019t mean he hasn\u2019t been busy. \u201cThere\u2019s plenty of time for the sort of more public-facing part of my job; that will come,\u201d he said. \u201cFor now, I\u2019m focused on getting things done. It\u2019s a marathon, not a sprint. My first job is to establish relationships in Washington.\u201d<\/p>\n How to establish a relationship with the most unconventional president ever?<\/p>\n \u201cAll leaders are, in a sense, their own personalities. President Trump is a very authentic leader. I\u2019ve worked with Pakistani generals, I\u2019ve met Putin, I\u2019ve served British politicians on all sides of the aisle. It\u2019s really not for me to pick and choose\u2026 I serve to engage whomever the American people elect.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve had quite a lot of contact,\u201d he said about Trump. \u201cI\u2019ve seen up close the President\u2019s extraordinary ability to shape things. He has a genius for political communication and it\u2019s an extraordinary talent.\u201d<\/p>\n The Garden Party, Turner\u2019s first major social event, burnished his credentials, and illustrated how well he could utilize the splendid ambassadorial residence. Designed in 1925 by Sir Edwin Lutyens, it is itself one of the crown jewels of British soft power.<\/p>\n \u201cI am in some senses a hotelier, a restaurateur. I\u2019m a good diplomat, but underneath that, I try to throw good parties where people can come and have a good time while the national interest is advanced. I do have a ballroom, and it\u2019s a very nice one.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n